Efforts to reform public schooling in America are pervasive and constant. Public schools effect a large percentage of the population, for whom they serve for several years. Tyack and Cuban (1997) describe the high expectations we have for our schools and the belief held by many that our schools are an important engine for changing our culture, strengthening our economy, and preserving our democracy.
As scholars, professionals, parents, and citizens, we are wise to develop an informed and nuanced understanding of schools and school reform efforts. Since many of us have been influenced by many different teachers in many classroom and school settings, it is sometimes difficult to move past what we consider "common sense" to think about reform efforts with a critical eye towards the trade-offs and "unintended" consequences that policies often produce. To to this, it can be helpful to try to understand the ideas and arguments of scholars in the field.
In this project, you are challenged to wrap your head around one book, its perspective on issues related to reform, and teach the rest of us what we need to know to refine our understandings of reform. We'll start the process by choosing a book and exploring it to determine a reasonable amount to read. Once you've read your book, you will prepare a web-based resource that summarizes and extends your reading. Finally, you will take this background knowledge into a group to think and write about a particular issue or question related to current reform efforts. In addition to a group synthesis webpage, your group teach the rest of the class about your topic (and books). Our guiding question for this project will be:
What are some critical ideas that policy makers should consider when developing their principles for school reform?
Process
1. Determine Scope of Study
Each participant in the class will adopt a book with the intention of synthesizing with others and teaching us how the author's ideas should inform our understandings of schools and school reform. Since our class is so short, it may not be possible to read your complete book, so it may be necessary to focus one's attention. The first step in our project, then, is to define your scope of work. To do this, you should include answers to the following five questions in a proposal for your research:
a. Citation for book (In APA style)
b. Summary of book's argument taken as best you can from the introduction.
c. Brief description of author's background.
d. Description of the scope your reading, e.g. what chapters, (with titles) you plan to read. How was your decision about what to read influenced by your goals concerning the book?
e. How do you see the knowledge gained from your portion of the book contributing to the class's understanding of schools, teaching, and/or school reform?
You can use the links below to initiate your proposals:
Note: This page will eventually be made public, so it should look appropriately professional.
4. Finalize Book Pages: Due Thursday 7/18.
On your the book pages that you have already begun:
Add a picture of the book's cover at the top of your page.
In addition to items a-e above, add:
f. What critical ideas, arguments, or knowledge doe the book present that education reformers, policy wonks, and politicians should consider when developing and mandating reforms?
Introduction
Efforts to reform public schooling in America are pervasive and constant. Public schools effect a large percentage of the population, for whom they serve for several years. Tyack and Cuban (1997) describe the high expectations we have for our schools and the belief held by many that our schools are an important engine for changing our culture, strengthening our economy, and preserving our democracy.
As scholars, professionals, parents, and citizens, we are wise to develop an informed and nuanced understanding of schools and school reform efforts. Since many of us have been influenced by many different teachers in many classroom and school settings, it is sometimes difficult to move past what we consider "common sense" to think about reform efforts with a critical eye towards the trade-offs and "unintended" consequences that policies often produce. To to this, it can be helpful to try to understand the ideas and arguments of scholars in the field.
In this project, you are challenged to wrap your head around one book, its perspective on issues related to reform, and teach the rest of us what we need to know to refine our understandings of reform. We'll start the process by choosing a book and exploring it to determine a reasonable amount to read. Once you've read your book, you will prepare a web-based resource that summarizes and extends your reading. Finally, you will take this background knowledge into a group to think and write about a particular issue or question related to current reform efforts. In addition to a group synthesis webpage, your group teach the rest of the class about your topic (and books). Our guiding question for this project will be:
What are some critical ideas that policy makers should consider when developing their principles for school reform?
Process
1. Determine Scope of Study
Each participant in the class will adopt a book with the intention of synthesizing with others and teaching us how the author's ideas should inform our understandings of schools and school reform. Since our class is so short, it may not be possible to read your complete book, so it may be necessary to focus one's attention. The first step in our project, then, is to define your scope of work. To do this, you should include answers to the following five questions in a proposal for your research:a. Citation for book (In APA style)
b. Summary of book's argument taken as best you can from the introduction.
c. Brief description of author's background.
d. Description of the scope your reading, e.g. what chapters, (with titles) you plan to read. How was your decision about what to read influenced by your goals concerning the book?
e. How do you see the knowledge gained from your portion of the book contributing to the class's understanding of schools, teaching, and/or school reform?
You can use the links below to initiate your proposals:
2. Prepare to Collaborate
3. Team Synthesis
4. Finalize Book Pages: Due Thursday 7/18.
5. Teach-In!
6. Publish Team and Book Pages on RISchools